Two girls walked around Patchwork’s art studio and demanded answers of everyone there: “How many powers do you have?”
“What?” we all responded.
“How many powers?” they asked again. Then they took a moment to reconsider for those of us who weren’t getting it. After the pause, they asked it a different way. “How old are you?”
“Why?” we all wondered.
“You get a new superpower with every year!” they explained.
“Oh!” we all said.
“I’m 10,” one of the girls’ friends said.
“You have 10 powers!” they joyfully responded.
They turned to someone older.
“How old are you?” they asked.
“I’m 26,” she said.
“You have 26 powers!” they cheered excitedly.
“How old are you?” they asked one of the oldest people in the room.
She responded a little reluctantly, feeling her age. “Sixty,” she said.
This answer was met with great cheers and rejoicing. The girls were amazed to know someone who had amassed so many superpowers. “You have 60 powers!!!”
The oldest among us aren’t old. They are our most powerful superheroes!
Patchwork Central, itself, had a birthday this month. It turned 46, so now it has 46 superpowers.
What are they all? As with the kids, it’s up to you to decide!
As inspiration, here are some of the things we accomplished in our most recent year:
- Our food pantry served 1858 individuals from 1120 households by distributing over 16 tons of food. Each food order includes 3-4 days’ worth of food, meaning we distributed approximately 22,000 meals.
- We distributed over 1350 pounds of pet food from the Tuly Fund so recipients would not have to choose between feeding themselves or their pets.
- 37 children and youth in grades K-8 attended Arts & Smarts activities. A total of 123 days of activities were offered, resulting in 696 individual afternoons of creativity, learning, and growth.
- We logged approximately 9167 instances of hospitality. These included cups of coffee, phone use, bread, fresh vegetables, and referrals to other local agencies better equipped to assist the individual with their needs. It also included 1275 showers for individuals who, for various reasons, had no other access to shower facilities.
- We brewed approximately 1210 pots of coffee and mixed up 169 pitchers of lemonade.
- We provided 166 refurbished adult bikes to new owners, five bikes to the Arts & Smarts Program to use as incentives, and we provided numerous repairs for walk-in clients.
- We provided 2353 total health encounters for about 220 total clients. Services included 131 instances of transporting clients to medical appointments, 392 checks of blood pressure, and 1724 instances of medical supplies distributed. We also provided or distributed 145 complementary and alternative medicine services or supplies.
- We made our building available to other community organizations.
- Our green spaces provided educational opportunities, beauty, and peace.